1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fluid loading arms, and more particularly to articulated marine loading arms for transferring fluid between an offshore facility and a tanker or other marine vessel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The production of oil and gas from offshore wells has developed into a major endeavor of the petroleum industry, and this growth has fostered extensive interest and investigation into means for transporting the produced fluids to shore-based refineries or storage facilities. Although in many instances pipelines are employed for this purpose, more and more wells are being drilled and completed in deepwater locations where the use of marine tankers of very large capacity constitutes the most practical and efficient transportation method, such as where pipelines would be too costly or difficult to construct.
Some of the prior art loading facilities include a fluid handling means such as a fixed mooring buoy or a floating platform to which a tanker may be moored while loading. Connected to the floating platform are a number of flexible hoses for transferring fluid to the tanker. A tender is normally required to assist the tanker in picking up the flexible hoses for connection to the tanker's manifold. Such an arrangement not only requires the use of a tender, but movement of the tanker may cause the flexible hoses to be broken.